The Brave Pedestrian

While Salman Khan secured bail in barely three hours after his conviction, over 60% of undertrials spend more than three months in jail before they can secure release. The prolonged incarceration is due to their inability to get bail. Government data shows that roughly 1.75 lakh of 2.78 lakh people facing criminal charges are unable to secure bail before three months. Over 40% (1.1 lakh) of undertrials take more than six months to secure bail, over 64,000 spend more than one  year in jail before they are released on bail, while over 30,000 spend more than two years in jail. Image: http://tinyurl.com/jail-bail-India And further to this, thousands of convicts are detained months or even years AFTER COMPLETION OF THEIR SENTENCES due to non-payment of fines. These are inmates who remain in jail even after completion of their jail sentences because they are unable to pay the fine amount! At the end of 2013, there were 3000 such prisoners. Of these, 1375 prisoners, or 4...

Our nation is in the midst of judiciary's summer vacation -- an entire organ of State closed for five to seven weeks (except for a tiny number of vacation-judges -- a loincloth-like shred of judiciary). Because of these summer vacations, courts give long dates to undertrials -- even those who are being held in judicial custody. Dates are not always given given immediately after summer vacations, so the delay is not only of a few weeks. With lakhs of people being held in judicial custody without a trial for months and even years, doesn't this make our judiciary the biggest human-rights violator in India and abroad? Think about the needless suffering that common people and their families undergo, while our judges and lawyers insist on their right to take it easy. Judges don't think it is a big deal to hold an accused in prison for a few extra weeks or months. For them, it is just business-as-usual!  http://tinyurl.com/Courts-Summer-Vacation Regards, ...

Here's something the media never reports: "Anaadi courts" are the instrumentality by which the State deprives tens of thousands of Indian citizens of their Fundamental Right to Life & Liberty. Without due process. For trivial offences like crossing the railway tracks, ticketless travelling and "loitering suspiciously" (combined with inability to furnish bail-bond or engage a lawyer), people are arrested and held in judicial custody for days, weeks or even months in judicial custody, without even being chargesheeted. This is happening daily, without interruption. Hello... Are the Chief Justices listening? Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share  

About 50% of Indian magistrates (and 80% of public prosecutors) are widely known to take bribes for going easy on undertrials seeking bail. Magistrates safeguard themselves by channeling the bribes through policemen. Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

The media never reports this: "Anaadi courts" are the instrumentality by which the State deprives lakhs of Indian citizens of their Fundamental Right to Life and Liberty without any due process. This is happening on a daily basis, without interruption. Hello... Are the Chief Justices listening? Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

The Indian State is keeping lakhs of people in jail without a trial for months and sometimes years, all in the name of maintaining law-and-order. It is called "judicial custody". By refusing bail and keeping people in overcrowded lockups, Indian police, public prosecutor and magistrate keep up the traditions of British ruling classes, showing the masses who is boss! The prevalence of lengthy judicial custody exposes the WILLFUL IGNORANCE OF WE THE PEOPLE. As long as you and I  are willing to look the other way and pretend to be unaware, our ruling classes will continue to systematically treat lakhs of our fellow-citizens like caged animals... until one day, it will be your turn, or mine. If you value your freedom, raise your voice against this evil practice. Don't remain a silent spectator. Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share